Cristina Odone is a journalist, novelist and broadcaster specialising in the relationship between society, families and faith. She is the director of communications for the Legatum institute and is a former editor of the Catholic Herald and deputy editor of the New Statesman. She is married and lives in west London with her husband, two stepsons and a daughter. Her new ebook No God Zone is now available on Kindle.

Kate is ours in the same way Diana was: we cannot be kept at bay

It's taken Kate so little time to conquer the world. Only five years ago, she was a plucky girl bent on regaining her boyfriend. Today, we are in love with her, as we haven't been in love with a public figure since Diana, her late mother-in-law. It's an awesome role to play, and so far Kate has done it brilliantly. But she should remember the dark side of our love: we grow greedy and possessive.

Greedy, because we can't get enough of her. My 80-year-old mother and my nine-year-old daughter will read anything about Kate, and watch any programme that features her. They're not Berlusconi-style voyeurs in any way; simply interested in everything about the charming and beautiful Duchess. They'd be outraged to think of a paparazzo stalking the pregnant beauty on the beach; but they're happy to pore over the resulting photos (and Silvio and his ilk are banking on that).

Possessive, because we feel Kate is ours. Like Hyde Park, the British Museum or the Thames, the Duchess of Cambridge has become a national treasure, accessible to all. Yes, there are a few rules – you have to show some respect; but the idea of anyone thinking that Kate, in the privately-owned island of Mustique, could keep the public at bay is laughable.

Kate is a strong woman. Thank goodness, because it is now too late for the Windsors to keep her away from us: they cannot withdraw the people's Duchess any more than they could sideline the people's Princess. No island, even one in shark-infested waters, at the end of the world, could keep Kate from us. We love her, after all.